If we all Fall
by Aegis-Story
Summary: A plague of un-known origins has completely devastated Remnant in the course of ten long years. As faunus become monsters, Grimm fall into a dormant state and humans go insane, the chances of survival grow lower every passing day. Character death is to be expected. Rated T for the time being. Ships are semi present right now.
1. Chapter 1

**Three years after the plague hit...**

"There is like, twenty of them… Damn." Ruby cursed, whispering harshly to her three teammates behind her.

"Its better than twenty one!" Yang remarked, gaining a glare from her younger sister.

"Will you shutup?" Weiss hissed at her, not taking her eyes off of the Grimm hybrids huddled together by the exit of the empty apartment room.

Weiss noticed Blake shift awkwardly, and the pressure to do something only grew. "We need to take care of this." Weiss mumbled, musing to herself.

"No shit, princess." Ruby retorted quietly, her remark rewarded with a withering glare from cerulean eyes. "Alright, alright. Suggestion?" She asked hastily, trying to move the situation forward.

"Not really... " Weiss admitted.

Kneeling in the corner, team RWBY was still presently unnoticed by the hybrids. Weiss didn't know how they hadn't been discovered yet, but the feeling in her stomach was starting to grow. "How long do you think they've been around?" Yang wondered.

"They're recent ones." Blake replied, her voice tight and anxious. Yang reached for her hand to reassure the faunus, but Blake recoiled quickly before Yang could make contact. Weiss cursed the crestfallen expression that flickered across Yang's face for a moment. They really needed to get out of this position.

"Well, damn it." Ruby grumbled, her hand gripping the wooden handle of her axe so tight her knuckles were white, veins prominent underneath skin. There was fear in Ruby's voice, and Weiss didn't like that.

"Alright, who votes we just attack them with the element of surprise?" Yang suggested, her own hand resting on the sledge hammer by her side.

"Thats dumb, we need a more solid- Oh dust!" Weiss' voice went from a whisper to a high pitched shout as the hybrids suddenly reacted to their presence, anguished screams tearing through their throats to signal that RWBY was their targets now.

Ruby reacted first, a battle cry escaping through her lips as she brandished her axe. "Come get me then, you pieces of shit!" She howled, leaping into the charging enemy with vigor and fury. The wicked edge of her axe blade came down to meet a stray hybrid on the top of their head.

Weiss reacted out of fear for Ruby's life. One person against this many hybrids was a massacre scene waiting to happen. Myrtenaster was out and spearheading Weiss' attack in an instant, her target a hybrid reaching out for Ruby with gnarled hands. The rapier was lightning quick across it's throat, releasing a spray of crimson from where the blade made it's cut. Weiss was careful to duck out of the way in order to avoid it.

Ruby struggled with her axe, not paying Weiss any heed at all as she kicked furiously at another hybrid's hand with a booted foot. It recoiled, snapping angrily at her with it's teeth. "Yang!" Ruby shouted, calling for her older sister to come to her aid. Weiss launched herself at the hybrid Ruby had kicked, desperately trying to protect the younger girl. Myrtenaster shot straight through the abdomen and into the spine of her intended target, carried with force by it's wielder.

Weiss was quick in backing away, narrowly avoiding the reaching grasp of another attacker. In the back of her mind, Weiss wondered why neither Yang or Blake had joined them as she fended off the mindless creatures seeking to tear her and Ruby apart.

"Yang, what the fuck, help!" Ruby cried, stumbling back as a hybrid suddenly shot towards her. Weiss' hand shook as she helped steady the brunette and backpedalled away from the source of her terror.

"Weiss, what the hell are they doing?!" Ruby cried, referring to the teammates the Ruby didn't dare turn to look at. Weiss was further away from the threat, and so she quickly turned to snatch a quick update on the status of Blake and Yang.

Weiss' felt a rush of panic as she stared wide eyed at a swarming of hybrids, all of them clawing and growling at the duo. Over all the animalistic noises, Weiss could clearly hear Yang yelling for Blake to be careful. The frantic, former heiress couldn't make out what Blake was doing, and the danger her and Ruby were in was more pressing to Weiss right now. "They're fine!" Weiss yelled back, resulting in an angry grimace upon Ruby's face.

"Obviously they could be better!" Ruby growled, ducking under a swinging arm. Ruby continued forward and past the attacker, weaving between angry and bloodthirsty enemies. Weiss called out for her to stop before realization dawned on her. The hybrids turned their attention from Weiss to the now submerged Ruby Rose.

With a furious battle shout, Weiss summoned a glyph beneath her feet. It pulsed with power beneath her, briefly illuminating her in pale white light. A moment later she was cutting a swath of destruction through the mass of hybrids that were surrounding Ruby, propelled by the release of her semblance.

It hardly registered in Weiss' mind that the hybrids were still growing. Originally it had been five; obviously it had escalated from there. She was focused on the struggling form of Ruby, who wrestled to keep the teeth from her arms and neck, or the claws from her face and legs. Weiss thanked the thick coat Ruby wore as the former heiress cut down Ruby's attackers, careful to watch the creatures around her.

It was a dumb strategy, Ruby, but damn… Weiss thought to herself, finally clearing the hybrids away from the brunette. Myrtenaster seemed to sizzle endlessly as Grimm blood boiled away into nothingness. Her own clothes only added to the white noise.

"Ahhh fuck." Ruby muttered, panting heavily. Weiss heard her stand up, her eyes trained on the hesitant hybrids around them. These creatures weren't stupid; they were just willing to do anything for a kill. "Weiss, this is bad."

Weiss tightened her grip on Myrtenaster's handle in response. She didn't like hearing that. She'd much rather hear things were fine and dandy, and that in a few moments they'd all be having tea at some fancy little diner shop.

"What?"

Ruby made a pained grunt as she moved in behind Weiss. No words, just a grunt.

"Ruby, what the hell happa-"

"Weiss, shutup!" Ruby's voice was shrill, almost like a frightened child. Weiss gritted her teeth, watching expectantly as a hybrid started to crouch.

There would be no tea party if she didn't keep her mind focused.

* * *

><p>Yang was as fierce and deadly as she'd ever been. Her sledge hammer acted as an extension of herself as it caved in the skulls of hybrids, keeping them effectively at bay. She wished she knew where they had come from, though; they were still coming.<p>

"Damn bastard!" Yang growled, heaving in effort as she crushed the rib cage of a new target that had gotten to close to her corner of safety, almost losing her grip on the wooden handle Ember Fuckyou. The named hammer was pretty good at getting Yang's insult across.

From the corner of her eye she could see Gambol Shroud flashing in criss cross patterns, killing the approaching threat much cleaner than Yang was. It was almost annoying.

The sudden iron grip of something around her leg stole all of the blonde's attention, who recoiled violently. The crawling hybrid was pulled up off the ground by Yang's forceful tug, only to latch onto her waist with it's other hand. "Oh, fuck this!" Yang shouted, stumbling back as it dug it's nails into her skin. Damn, I should have patched that fucking hole up…

Ember Fuckyou was thrown to the ground as Yang grasped the skull of the hybrid, who was howling in anticipation. "No, fuck you, fuck you, fuck you!" Yang heaved, struggling to keep her balance while pushing down on the hungry attacker. She hardly paid any attention to the other hybrids who stood back, waiting to see if joining their disgusting friend was a good idea.

If they'd been smart, Yang would already be dead by now. Instead she was fully backed up into the corner, desperately trying to pry the nails of her thigh as she frantically searched for Blake with her eyes. The faunus was busy with her own trouble, moving faster and with more effort as she took on the horde fearlessly.

"Get. Off. Of. Me!" Yang growled, resorting to punching it's face with her gloved hand, the right one busy pushing down on the hybrid. It's neck snapped back when her fist made contact, but it's grip on her didn't lax in the least.

There was nothing more terrifying than staring death in the eyes. As ten, twenty, maybe fifty hybrids lept for her at once, Yang knew this was where she fell.

She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, refusing to let a sound of pain escape her lips in her time of dying.

The seconds passed by slowly, the snarling, growling and snapping never changing. Only when the weight of the hybrid latched onto her suddenly vanish did Yang open her eyes, only to find Blake standing with her back turned to the blonde, somehow having deterred the hybrids.

"Nice fucking timing, Kitty Ca-"

"Yang, get out through the window!"

The blonde stared dumbly at her partner before turning her head sideways. A shattered window was only feet away from her, not a single hybrid close enough to hinder the blonde if she decided to escape that way.

The pain in her hip burned, and her heart was racing. Her head was pounding and her body tired. "What about Ruby and Weiss?!"

* * *

><p>Blake swung Gambol Shroud once more, cleaving two hybrids down. She would have done more, but time was running out. Hopefully Weiss and Ruby could handle the rest after her and Yang left. "They already went out, Yang! They can't be too far; we should leave, now!"<p>

"All fucking right!" Yang's agreement was all Blake needed to hear. With a quick turn on her heel, Blake shot towards the window, shocked to already find the blonde climbing out.

"This is a really high fall, Bla-" The blonde was cut off as Blake slammed her body into Yang's backside, knocking her completely from her weary perch. The two sailed loosely through the air towards the paved road, neither of them having the time to make sure that once down there, they'd be safe.

All they could do is hope.

* * *

><p>Weiss was terrified.<p>

The immediate threat to her and Ruby's life had been resolved. For that, the former heiress took great solace. However, the ravaged flesh on Ruby's neck was scaring the hell out of her.

"Ruby, stop moving and sit down!" Weiss pleaded, watching as the brunette silently crossed the room over and over, popping her head out the window every time she passed it by. "We can't go out that way…" Weiss muttered, having long since determined that nothing was going to stop Ruby's pacing.

After they'd ended the conflict, which had taken another twenty long minutes after Yang and Blake had left unbeknownst to them, Ruby had fallen into a panicked craze. First, it had been over her neck. She had begged Weiss to cut at the flesh and then cauterize it, but the former heiress had refused, horrified by the thought of doing such an act.

Ruby had then searched for Yang and Blake throughout the room, before she decided that they'd gone out through the window. She'd have gone after them, too, if it weren't for the horde of hybrids passing in the streets below.

Weiss wasn't scared about the wound killing Ruby. The probabilities of that happening with the tools they had on hand was scarce. She was more worried about losing Ruby to the plague. If even a drop of hybrid blood had fallen into that wound, then there were high chances that Ruby could go utterly insane within the next few hours.

While the effects were certainly different and not permanent, unlike what it did to the faunus, Weiss didn't see herself able to sit around for five months with Ruby trying to tear either the former heiress or herself apart.

Weiss swallowed, trying to bury her worries for a moment. She had to stop Ruby and get a better look. "Ruby, you're being a dunce. Stop for a moment and let me take a damn look at that thing!"

Ruby froze, head still out the window. "And do what with it?" Her response was small, weak. It was obvious that Ruby was far more troubled than Weiss was.

"Something, Ruby! Ignoring it and waiting to see if you go nuts is dumb, and quite frankly, my nerves are shot to fucking hell right now!"

"Because looking at it will help, right?" Ruby snapped, drawing herself out of the window with a grunt. Weiss pursed her lips, knowing that Ruby had a point. If there was anything that could be done, it would be for Weiss to take her leave now and get to safer ground.

There was no chance in hell she was willingly going to do that to herself.

"Can you just please stop staying so far away? And keep your head out of the window. I don't want them seeing you, or hearing you, or anything."

Ruby stared Weiss down with cold, silver eyes, her worries and fears perfectly displayed in a nice little row for the former heiress to see. It was heartbreakingly painful to think that Ruby thought Blake and Yang were out there, either trampled or eaten to death by the loud and nerve racking horde of hybrids marching through the streets.

"Ruby, please, just come here."

Ruby ignored her, turning away from the former heiress and dropping heavily to the floor, arms hanging loosely by her sides. Weiss could plainly see the dark crimson staining Ruby's neck and coat. "I'm fine over here, Weiss."

"Just don't let me be another Jaune."

* * *

><p><strong>Ta-da. First chapter to a new fanfic. I've had a lot of time the last little while, so I was finally able to get this done. Next update will probably be while, as I need to finish GoaR and write a White Rose christmas oneshot. <strong>

**Leave a favourite and follow if you feel so inclined! Reviews are also welcome. **

**Also, first time really writing such a long battle scene. Undecided if a chapter like this is a good choice for an opening one, but due to where I'm going with this story next chapter, I feel it was the best way to do things. **

**Until I find the time to write another chapter, adios, mates. Expect more, just not super quick is all. **


	2. A little walk in the woods

**Ten years after the outbreak..**

_Don't move._

_We'll die if we don-_

_I said don't move!_

_Ruby, its getting close…_

_I know._

_Ruby…!_

_Weiss, run!_

_Ruby!_

Weiss woke up with a start, almost losing her balance on the tree branch she'd slept on throughout the night. The burning pain in her back drew a sharp hiss from behind her teeth, and she eased herself back down. 'That damned dream again...'

"Weiss?"

She turned her head slightly to the side, settling her blurry gaze on Ruby. The younger of the two was sitting on a branch beside her, frayed red cloak draped around a black hoodie that was a little too small for her. Silver eyes distorted in her vision were eyeing her wearily, and Weiss noticed a hand hovering in the air.

"I'm alright, Ruby. Just a dream." She looked around, a little surprised to see that the sun was already high in the sky.

"What hurts?"

Weiss sighed, sitting up with a wince and bracing her back against the thick tree trunk. "These trees do a number on your back."

"So, your back?"

Weiss huffed, searching for her backpack. "Yes, Ruby, my back."

"Well, aren't you a bowl of sunshine and rainbows." Ruby remarked dryly, rummaging through her own pack. Weiss paused in her search to glare silently at the brunette as she pulled out two water bottles. "Want one?" Weiss nodded in response, and Ruby tossed it over. The former caught it with ease, quickly unscrewing the cap and pressing the spout to her parched lips. Warm, decidedly gross water made it's way down her throat, and when Weiss pulled it away, she wore a grimace.

"This stuff tastes awful."

"You look awful."

Weiss shot Ruby another glare, running a hand through her knotted hair anyways. Ruby was probably right; it was knotted, greasy, and Weiss knew for a fact that the uneven haircut didn't help. "Speak for yourself. Have you seen your face? You look like you haven't ever heard of a bath before."

"Pfft." Ruby dismissed Weiss' insult with a wave of her hand, although the statement had some truth to it. Mud and dirt was caked onto her cheeks, and an angry red gash marred her forehead. Red tinged bangs hung around her eyes, giving the scrutinizing glare Ruby always wore even more effect. She was still a pretty small girl, given that she was twenty nine. A tiny little nose, a pair of small lips that were always pursed, and a pair of silver eyes that were so large it seemed impossible that there was never any joy in them.

Weiss grunted with effort as she forced herself up into a standing position, careful to make sure the belt on her jeans hadn't come loose. They were a few sizes too big for her small waist, and while they were the only two around, Weiss didn't like the thought of Ruby having so much fun at her expense.

"Weiss, careful."

"Huh?"

"Below you. It looks sort of angry."

Weiss looked down with wide, cerulean eyes, swallowing when she saw the giant dog circling the base of their tree. It had been silent up until now, suddenly attacking the tree in a frenzy to get up at them, snarling and biting at the air. One side of it's face was a bloody mess, and Weiss had to look away from the mangled flesh.

"Think it will bite?" Ruby asked as she went about collecting a rifle from the canopy above.

"Of course, Ruby." Weiss murmured, waiting expectantly for her own Myrtenaster. Ruby had long ago abandoned Crescent Rose, stating that it would slow her down too much to keep it. Weiss on the other hand used a rapier, so despite how hard it was to obtain dust, it was still a viable weapon.

"You know, we could always just use your glyphs to hop through the trees and not kill it." Ruby suggested, looking down sadly at the dog. The brunette hated killing canines; losing Zwei was one of the harder points in her childhood life.

"It would be a mercy to kill it, Ruby."

"It would be a mercy to kill anyone in this world." Ruby stated emotionless, checking to see if her rifle was loaded. Weiss was still waiting for her weapon.

"I don't know. It can be pretty fun, sleeping in trees and waking up to find yourself being threatened by rabid animals."

Ruby made a scoffing sound in the back of her throat, taking aim at the dog. For a moment Weiss wondered if Ruby would take the shot, but the earsplitting crack that followed put an end to her questions.

Ruby collected Weiss' rapier, handed it to her, and threw the rifle over her shoulder. "Alright then. I'll go down, you jump, I catch you. Sounds good?"

Weiss snorted in response, a little shaken by the gunshot. No matter how many times she heard on, it always had the same effect. Sheleapt from her perch, landing roughly on the ground below. Apparently she'd misjudged the distance; it had been a little further down than she'd thought. Ruby landed beside her with a grunt, her eyes focused on the dog she'd shot.

"Come on. The park is only a few more miles from here, right?" Weiss asked, stealing Ruby's attention. Sometimes the older woman was glad there was still some compassion left in her only companion.

"Yeah. The guy said it's just a little ways from Beacon, and we're in Forever Fall now." Ruby responded after a few seconds, rolling her shoulders. Weiss watched the emotion leave her eyes, replaced by the same old icy stare.

"And Yang could be around there?"

Ruby shrugged, starting off in a direction. "He said he saw a girl with long blonde hair. Why she'd ever keep it long, who knows, but Yang is the only girl I know who'd have it that length despite… This."

Weiss fell silently in behind her, her eyes searching everywhere as they walked. Currently they were surrounded by nothing but red trees, red grass, red everything. The only break in the seemingly endless color was the slate grey cliffs in the distance, pointy ridges against the clear blue sky.

The air was sort of chilly. Not enough that it made her cold, but spring wasn't completely here yet, and it was pretty obvious. All around them birds sang, and Weiss couldn't help the smile that touched her lips. Life hadn't been too bad lately. Ruby was slowly becoming happier and happier, the weather was growing nicer with each passing day, they had a good lead on Yang, and to make things even better, it had been a whole week since they'd had an encounter with any hybrids.

Even Ruby had a slight bounce to her steps today. "You know, one of these days, I want to do that thing we did back when we fought the Nevermore." Ruby suddenly piped up, her head turned towards the cliffs.

"We fought a lot of Nevermores."

"... Yeah, I guess. Okay. What I mean is, I want to do that thing we did when we fought our first nevermore."

"Ruby, I'm so unpracticed with my glyphs, you'd likely hit the wall and the glyph would explode…"

"Oh, come on. You can't be that bad; you used to practice so much it was actually kind of sad."

Weiss sighed, pulling down on the hem of her cream turtleneck. It was a habit she'd picked up whenever Ruby started going on about their past. "I haven't really used my semblance in the last five years. Its too much of a hassle, and I need my energy for running. Not hopping around willy nilly."

"Meh. You should have had a semblance that didn't need so much practice, you know?"

"You could have benefited from one." Weiss shot back, wearing a proud smirk. Ruby simply snorted, turning her attention to the dirt road they walked on, broken up here and there by a wiry root.

Their light hearted banter died as they walked on in silence, both watching warily for any signs of trouble. Weiss hadn't forgotten the fact that they hadn't seen any hybrids, and while it was nice, she didn't want to get taken off guard.

As the day progressed slowly, the only sounds being the birds, crunching of fallen branches underneath their feet, rustling of leaves in the wind and the occasional grunt from Weiss or Ruby, the forest began to grow less dense. The cliffs became smaller and less frequent, and their path steepened.

"We can't be too far off. We know where the park is, and its supposed to be just outside of Forever Fall. Judging by the thinning of this damned forest, I'd say we're pretty close." Ruby mumbled, and Weiss nodded in response. Her eyes were trained on Ruby's back, memories of a long gone past playing through her mind.

* * *

><p>"Ruby, hold on…"<p>

"Weisssss! You're such a slow poke!"

The heiress panted heavily, glaring at her excitable friend. Ruby was hopping up and down on her tippy toes, dressed in nothing but her pajamas. Standing out in the dorm halls, wearing only her nightgown, Weiss felt a little rebellious. "Some of us don't have semblances that allow us to run like the coyote from the road runner cartoon."

Ruby pouted, letting Weiss catch her breath. For some reason, a seventeen year old Ruby had the need to take Weiss out to a diner. The catch? They weren't allowed to wear anything decent, as Weiss had put it. The only reason the heiress had agreed to it was because earlier that day, Yang had called her a prissy, gutless, boring, flat chested excuse of a person.

Right now, she was cursing herself for letting the blonde always get into her mind like this.

"Are you good?" Ruby asked quietly, nervously looking up and down the halls.

"Y-yeah. Come on, lets go. I really need a coffee now, thanks to this." At Weiss' agreement, Ruby had taken off at a slightly slower pace, but it was still too fast for Weiss to effectively keep up.

"Ruby!"

"Ugh!"

**Later on, at a local dinner...**

"This is actually pretty good." Weiss mumbled, sipping her coffee. Her feet were cold and sore, and none of it was worth the trouble to get here. But at least the coffee was good.

Ruby sat in front of her at the table for too, silently slurping a smoothie. Weiss eyed her suspiciously; the brunette hadn't uttered a single word at all since they'd gotten here.

"What's up, dolt?"

Ruby looked up at her, startled. In the pale light the light bulbs on the ceiling gave off, Ruby looked extremely flushed. "N-nothing. Just a little tired, I think."

"You think." Weiss echoed flatly, forcefully meeting Ruby's eyes with her own. If there was one thing that told someone what Ruby was thinking, it was those eyes. She saw fear, a little happiness… And something else she couldn't put a name to right now.

"Y-yeah. I mean, you know. I get a little tired too, you know!" She slurped another mouthful of her smoothie through the pink and white striped straw, looking away. Weiss was honestly befuddled by Ruby's peculiar behaviour.

"You hardly ever get tired! Besides, I have a good feeling that isn't the case."

"Oh yeah? And why is that?" Ruby asked, drawing herself into a defensive stance. Weiss blinked, trying hard to figure out what the case with Ruby was.

With a sigh, she took another sip of her coffee. "Ruby, do you need study help again?"

"... No."

"Training exercises?"

"No, I'm doing fine in combat stuff…"

Weiss snapped her fingers, her face lighting up in victory and excitement. Ruby recoiled in shock at the sudden reaction. "Aha! You've decided that your fashion sense really isn't that great, and you've come to me for help! Finally! Oh, this is grea-"

"W-what? No! And my fashion sense is fine…"

"No it isn't! It's horr-"

"Weiss!"

"Right, sorry." Weiss settled down, taking another sip of her coffee. She looked around the dinner, still conscious to the lack of clothing she bore. "So, what is it? Did you feed something to Zwei that would make him sick again? Raw cookie dough is bad for dogs; and you too!"

Ruby shook her head, fidgeting with the straw in her glass, twirling it around and around. "No, Zwei is fine…" She answered in a meek voice, and Weiss pursed her lips in frustration. Ruby was being strangely… 'Cute?'

Weiss froze, startled by the thought. What in Remnant had ever caused that to come to her mind? But now, sitting in front of Ruby as the brunette tried to hide a blush, Weiss' couldn't banish the thought.

"Ruby, what is it?" Weiss' tone was softer, more serious. Ruby squeaked, hugging her knees to her chest and resting her forehead between the gap in them. Weiss couldn't help herself now; Ruby was simply cute and that was the final verdict in her mind. The heiress was completely shellshocked by this realization. A giddy feeling was building in her stomach, and she tried hard to keep it down.

"Weiiiiss! Its silly, and weird, and not at all important!" Ruby assured her, her voice muffled and severely high pitched.

"You're making a big deal out of it." Weiss stated, now playing with new ideas that could cause Ruby such distress. In two years she'd never seen the brunette so flustered, and there were only a few things that could explain it.

Ruby had never, ever expressed having feelings for another person. Weiss felt a little crestfallen; the heiress was, to her knowledge, the only lesbian in team RWBY. Not that she'd asked, but the rest of her team didn't show any signs of having the same preferations. Ruby had never even shown any signs of having any sexual preferences at all.

It was a curse, Weiss thought, being in a team with three other girls. Of course, thinking someone was cute and actually having feelings for them was another thing.

"I-its nothing, Weiss. I just wanna get out of here, and go home, and go to sleep."

The utter helplessness in Ruby's voice was heart breaking. Weiss knew how it felt to not be able to convey feelings and such across, but as she'd learned to do with Ruby, Ruby would have to learn to talk to her, too.

"Ruby Rose, don't you dare bring something like this to my attention and then dismiss it as if it wasn't anything of importance. It obviously is, now spill."

Ruby huffed in defeat, throwing her feet back down to the tiled floor. Her cheeks were as red as a tomato, and tears were brimming in her eyes. An uncertain frown had replaces the permanent grin that Weiss had come to… 'Had come to what?'

"Weiss, I… I have these feelings for someone, and well, they're hard to explain."

Weiss stared incredulously, trying to wrap her head around her own thoughts and Ruby's confession. 'I did not just think that I love that smile.' She thought firmly, starring in open shock at Ruby, who began to stutter in terrified nonsense.

"I.. N-no, that… Well, this is… Heh?" Ruby's face was so red that Weiss thought there must have been red christmas lights hidden in it somewhere.

"Ruby… Calm down." Weiss took a deep breath to steady herself, too. "Who is it?" Weiss decided that if she was going to discover this, she needed to be professional. And so she made her expression completely serious, planting her hands in fists on the top of the table. The fact that she was blushing profusely at her own thoughts and wearing a nightgown didn't really occur to her.

Ruby looked away, and muttered something Weiss didn't catch.

"What?"

"Mew."

"Ruby, speak up." Weiss was shaking in anticipation, eager to solve this despite herself.

"I said it was someone."

Weiss stared- no, glared- at Ruby, her hands gripping the table so hard her knuckles had gone white. Ruby watched her innocently, hands clasped in her lap.

What followed was the most heartbreaking yet most beautiful thing Weiss had ever heard in her life.

"That someone is… You."

* * *

><p>Weiss shook her head, clearing it of memories of a past long gone. Gone was the diner where her and Ruby had fallen in love, replaced with the faded, wooden sign before her that read "Forever Fall Park; where memories that last a lifetime are made".<p>

"Hey, Weiss. We're here."

* * *

><p><strong>Alright. Little update here, because I felt like starting this story off slowly at first would be the best idea. I like to spend time on how I go about with opening of a new story. <strong>

**Anyhow, how did you guys like that little fluff scene? Its actually really, really sad further on. This story is going to feature a lot of minor backstories, just warning everyone.**

**Also, Yang's story will be told alongside this one. How she survived/if she survived this long and such. When I say Yang's story, this includes Blake, by the way.**

**Please review, its appreciated a lot. Leave a favourite and a follow if you feel like it, too. Until next time, adios! **


	3. A bit of trouble: End of arc one

**This took a LOT longer to finish then it should have. The reason for this is because I was doing arts. Oops, right? But now that I've finally gotten that out of my system, I can give you readers some love. So, once again, my apologies for long wait, and hopefully it wont happen again. Please enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"Ew." Weiss said quietly, in obvious disgust.<p>

Ruby looked down at the deer carcass, and although she didn't voice her distaste, the grimace showed it. Blood, mangled flesh, bones, guts, the whole thing was a beautiful display of all the things Ruby had never expected to be seeing so much of, back when she was fifteen.

"Yeah, that kind of killed the whole romantic park walk thing, huh?" Ruby said jokingly.

"Oh, yes, definitely." Weiss said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

Ruby rolled her shoulder, sighing with satisfaction as it cracked. She quickly scanned the area again, just in case there was something she missed. Other than the deer they were standing over, the round center of the park grounds held a wooden bench, a stone spiral fountain that had long ago stopped working, a few trash cans that circled the outskirts of the stone path, and a tall, red leafed hedge that acted as a sort of wall for the cozy center park.

"You know, if it wasn't for this deer, this place would be a… Weiss place to sleep for the night." Ruby managed, straining hard to not laugh. Beside her Weiss' eyebrow twitched angrily, her almost white lips pursed into a small line.

"Ruby, you're not funny."

"Yes I am!" Ruby protested, breaking into a laugh as Weiss puffed her cheeks angrily.

"Ruby! That is totally not acceptable! Using my name for puns is rude!"

"Oh, come on! It was great! Admit it, you love my sense of humor."

"Its dry, distasteful, and simply inconsiderate."

Ruby finished laughing, all the while ignoring the huffs from Weiss. When she was done, a loud sigh followed. "Alright. So, we still have another half of the park to go over. And, while this place is pretty and all, the deer is giving me some really nasty stares. Shall we continue?"

Weiss looked over at one of the spaced between the hedges, a small information stand stationed beside it. "Wanna check the map one more time again?"

Ruby shook her head, heading in the directed of the gap Weiss had looked at. "Nah, I've got it all in my head at this point. This path will lead to the lodgings, which I do believe isn't really a part of the park, but there is a high chance we could find Yang there."

"Or someone else…" Weiss muttered to herself, falling in behind Ruby. Ruby shrugged, actually hearing Weiss.

"If we find someone other than Yang, we go from there. If we find a hybrid, we kill it. Either way, we gotta check."

"Yeah."

If Ruby's mind served to be correct, then they had at least a fifteen minute walk. This was enough time to give the last few years of her life some thought. It had been seven years since Ruby had seen Yang. At first, it was all she could think about. Finding Yang. She hardly gave any thought to sleeping or eating. Just keeping alive in order to keep searching.

This went on for three years. Ruby and Weiss searching, never talking, hardly eating or sleeping. At one point, it had apparently gotten to be too much for Weiss. After a particularly stressful running session from a shit ton of hybrids, Ruby had instantly started preparing to up and leave from their safety spot. They'd only been there thirty minutes, hardly enough time for even Weiss to collect herself.

And so she had simply stated that either they change things up, or Weiss was going to survive on her own. It had been a totally empty threat, this much Ruby knew. Weiss would never abandon her. But Weiss was, well… Weiss was a lot to Ruby. Even Weiss had to come before Yang at this point, because Weiss was all Ruby really had left.

Still, three years of misery had damaged a lot of things.

"Pfft. Whatever." Ruby muttered to herself, scolding herself. There were reasons why she didn't like to think about those first few years. Rules that she'd set for herself.

Weiss must have heard her, because she gave Ruby a question glance. The brunette dismissed it with a wave of her hand, rolling her shoulder. "Hey, Weiss, how do you think she's been, anyhow?"

Weiss was silent for a moment, "Yang, you mean?"

"Yeah." Ruby replied, her eyes searching wearily as they traveled down the path. It was more of a guise, as she paid full attention to Weiss.

"Oh. Uh, I guess she must be pretty lonely."

Ruby nodded slowly in agreement. "Yeah. Seven years to be alone is a long time. Or, maybe six. Who knows."

"Ruby…" Weiss' voice was low and slightly hesitant.

"Eh."

The conversation died, Weiss no longer wanting to contribute to it and Ruby not having anything else to say. It was just as well, as the lodges came into view.

The lodging grounds themselves were pretty, littered in scarlet trees hardly taller than Ruby herself, and wild flowers grew in abundance, their blue and yellow colors are contrast against the red grass. Off to the very end of a gravel path was a small dock leading into what looked like a long lake. A rowboat moved gently with the running water, tethered to a pole with a rope.

The lodges themselves were a different story. They were dark grey, the only paint flaking and ugly. Shattered windows gave them an even nastier exterior, and a roof had half caved in on one of them.

"Well. Isn't this a nice little place." Ruby muttered, crossing her arms and staring on in slight disappointment.

"This place looks horrible." Weiss stated coldly, "Don't you dare try to defend it, either!" She snapped as Ruby began to open her mouth. The brunette shut it, shrugging. If Weiss said no, then that meant no. At least with the more non-serious matters.

"So, what. We gonna go look around and stuff?" Ruby asked, looking at Weiss expectantly. If the platinum blonde could sense how tense and worried Ruby was, she'd have probably sat the brunette down for a few minutes before she had a breakdown.

However, Ruby was pretty good at hiding emotions after all this time. She'd learned from the best, after all.

"Yeah, sure. But, Ruby, stay the hell away from that other one!" Weiss told her, addressing the one with a caved in roof.

"Alrighty, no problem-o. You go make yourself cosy or something. I dunno, look around the grounds, see if you can't find any traces of Yang." Ruby waved at Weiss, heading off towards the intact lodge. Intact may be pushing it, but at least the roof wasn't falling down. Yet.

* * *

><p>Weiss grumbled to herself, trotting around in the grass as she huffed and threw her arms around in a tizzy. Ruby had left her search around in three foot tall grass- the stuff was almost as tall as she was. Not only that, but she'd managed to trip and bruise her wrist. "Dust, Ruby!" She cursed, slapping her hands to her hips and slouching.<p>

And then she heard the most peculiar sound.

Like a low grumble, almost so low she didn't hear it. As she trained her ear on it, it seemed to grow louder. She looked around worriedly, her hand slipping down to Myrtenaster. She couldn't spot anything as she scanned the grounds, even though it should have been easy to spot something considering the colors of the scenery.

The grumble suddenly stopped, and Weiss froze. Minutes passed, and a slow trickle of sweat made it's way down her forehead. She couldn't figure out why, but the absence of the sound was actually more disturbing than it being there.

She perked up when she heard it again, though this time it was much more loud and guttural. It had to be an animal of sorts. A hybrid? Weiss blanched at the thought, dropping down onto her knees and below the grass line. She had a horrible feeling in her stomach, brought on by memories of frantic and breathless fleeing sessions.

She could hear something moving around in the grass now, the grumble now more like a blood curdling growl. 'No, not a hybrid...' Weiss realized. Hybrids didn't sound like that; they tended to scream. Her hand tightened on the hilt of her weapon. Was it a dog? A wolf? Maybe a bear.

No, this wasn't a bear either. They didn't growl; not like this. It occurred to her that her posture was incredibly lazy and dangerous if she were to have to act fast, so she quietly adjusted herself into a position allowing her to leap any way she wanted in a second's notice.

As she did it, the growling stopped.

Weiss' breath hitched, and her eyes went wide. She had no idea what was out there, and though she had her semblance and weapon, she was still extremely worried. Images of sinister red eyes suddenly assaulted her, and she could feel her heart racing.

The grass rustled as whatever it was stalked through them; and towards her. She could tell it was coming from behind, and that knowledge at least gave her some sort of peace. She knew where it was, now all she had to do was live to kill it. Or not, depending on how things played out.

She could plainly hear it's footsteps, now. She was shocked at how heavy it sounded. Nothing three feet tall was this loud.

She swallowed a gulp of air, readying herself as the footsteps stopped.

A second passed.

Then two.

A third.

As soon as one blade of grass moved, Weiss leapt forward, brandishing Myrtenaster like a deadly needle, turning herself around in the air as she summoned up a glyph to land on. When she laid her eyes on the creature, she had to take a double take.

It was a hulking, deformed beowulf. The usual black fur and white bone was there, and those bloodthirsty red eyes flashed hungrily at her, but the body structure was WRONG. The muzzle was only half the length it was supposed to be, and it's arms were small and humanlike. Hands that were supposed to be twisted and clawed were fingered, and legs that were supposed to be double jointed weren't. A long, whiplike tail flicked around behind it, but it didn't quite perfectly resemble a wolf tail.

They stared at each other, Weiss in utter amazement and the beast in blatant hunger. They tested each other, both trying to figure out who was faster, who was stronger, who had more weaknesses.

And then it moved.

Like a lightning bolt, it struck out at her, a high pitched roar erupting out of it's throat. Weiss gritted her teeth, throwing herself sideways in a dive, landing in the grass with a role, not taking her eyes off of the creature as it sailed past where she'd been.

As it caught itself, shocked by how quick Weiss had been, the blonde took a comfortable duelist stance. As she rose Myrtenaster to be level with her eyes, she let out a steadying breath. As it turned to look at her, Weiss felt her mouth go dry. Those eyes were so Grimm-like… Yet so human, at the same time. It was unsteadying and insulting, to think that something so feral and demonic reminded her of her own race.

She willed her aura to flare up, solidifying it in an almost solid force, a force ready to be unleashed. The creature growled, stalking towards her. She could see the muscles rippling under sleek, black fur. A long, salivary tongue hungrily licked the beast's chops, and Weiss prepared a glyph. This thing wouldn't stand a chance.

Then it launched itself at her, another high pitched roar accompanying it. Weiss ground her teeth together, not caring for how damaging it was. She'd long since stopped giving any shits about such trivial matters. The thing grew closer, it's hands stretching towards her, mouth agap and displaying duly sharp teeth.

Ten feet. Nine feet. Eight, seven. Six.

Weiss unleashed her glyph and used her built up aura to propel herself towards it, Myrtenaster pointed straight at it's abdomen. She was going to pass right under the hands and the mouth, and moving this fast there was no way it could possibly dodge her.

Except it did.

Weiss was shell shocked as she stumbled forward, the creature having slipped away from her vision. Had she misjudged? Was she a little too low? 'What the dust was that?!'

She quickly turned around, only to come face to face with a gnarly nailed hand. It collided violently with the side of her face, and her head snapped sidewise. Bright colors assaulted her, blinding her as she fell in some unknown direction. She tried to throw her arms out in front of herself to catch her fall, but she landed on her back instead. She desperately tried to regain her senses, but her vision was still flashing and she couldn't make sense of where she was.

Crack

Even in her state, Weiss made out the sound of the gun crack perfectly. More specifically, Ruby's rifle. "Weiss!" Ruby called, her voice tight and frantic. She sounded far away and muffled, almost as if she was under water.

"Weiss! Oh shit, Weiss!" The blonde heard Ruby faintly, and felt strong, shaking hands grab her shoulders. "Oh geez, Weiss! Damn it! Weiss, can you hear me? Say something, make a sound, do something!"

Weiss groaned in response, and Ruby gently propped Weiss' head up on her lap. "Fucking dust, Weiss! What the hell? That thing just about killed you! Hell, it may have!"

Weiss just focused on breathing, as trying to sort out anything else was giving her a nastier headache than the one she had.

"Oh, fuck. Weiss, your jaw is totally broken." Ruby sounded worried, pissed, and almost relieved as she let out an awkward chuckle. "Not as bad as that thing's face, though. I wrecked it."

Weiss continued to just take comfort in the soft surface her head was laying on. There was a pain in her back, too, and she tried desperately to ignore it. She felt Ruby's hand squeeze her's, and Weiss grunted her gratitude for Ruby's nice timing.

The sat there in silence for about thirty minutes, the only sound being their breathing. Nothing else disturbed the silence, save for a few bird chirps here and there. It was peaceful, and serene, and if Weiss wasn't in pain, she would have almost called it the most romantic thing she'd experienced in ten years.

"Ruby…" Weiss finally managed, after she'd finally stopped feeling like she was spinning. The brunette squeezed Weiss' hand again, and Weiss would have smiled had it not been for her jaw.

"Weiss, don't speak. You're jaw is busted, remember?" Ruby scolded her, concern heavily evident on her voice. Weiss made a small nod in response, and opened her eyes. Ruby leaned over her, her lips drawn into a tight line. Worried lines were creased into her forehead, and her eyes were filled with the concern Weiss had previously suspected.

The brunette gave a strained smile, squeezing Weiss' hand again. "You look kind of funny, now. I dunno, may not be too bad. I need comical relief, you know?" Ruby's joke didn't have nearly enough heart in it, but the attempt to ease the situation was as best as she could give. Weiss gave her a glare until Ruby muttered an apology.

The next few moments passed in silence, Ruby looking off into the distance as Weiss stared at her, trying to ignore the pain in her neck, mouth and back. The brunette wasn't beautiful, not by any means. It was hard to look good in times like this. But attractive, yes. With a slight gap between her lips, her eyes glazed over and thoughtful, Ruby looked more attractive to Weiss than she had in a while now.

"We should get you inside, so I can take a look at your jaw and try to fix it up." Ruby suggested, breaking the almost peaceful silence. Weiss let out a quiet sigh, scared to even use her voice at all. Even sighing or grunting was scary. "Is that a yes?" At the blonde's small, careful nod, Ruby removed her hand from Weiss'.

She was silent as Ruby carefully pulled her up into a bridal carry, Weiss wincing at the sharp pains that shot through her back at any movement. Ruby was careful as she stepped, fearful of jolting Weiss. She almost shuffled her feet as she slowly made her way to the lodge.

Ruby sat on a three legged chair, lightly tapping her knees as she watched a sleeping Weiss who was lying on the floor, wrapped up in every blanket they owned. Her chest rose and fell peacefully, and that at least brought a small smile to Ruby's lips. The bottom and top of her head were wrapped in bandage to ease the pain in her jaw, though there was nothing Ruby could really do about anything else.

Upon further inspection, it had turned out Weiss' jaw wasn't really broken, just fractured. Ruby had sighed in relief at that. In about five, seven weeks, Weiss' jaw would be fine and good to go. Ruby just needed to figure out how best to take care of it. She wasn't a doctor, even if she did have medical field training from both her dad and Beacon.

The most annoying part about this was that she hadn't found any signs of Yang, and they weren't really going anywhere until Weiss was in good condition again. That could take a while.

So Ruby sighed, adjusted the rifle at her side and set her attention back on the steady rising of Weiss' chest.

* * *

><p><strong>Alright. So, this chapter ended the first arc. Now, I have a question: do you guys want longer chapters, or do you like the length as it is? I can do longer, but I'm into the practice of three thousand words per, you know? <strong>

**Nonetheless, any criticism is heavily appreciated. That scene with a beowulf thing was interesting to write, and I don't know how well I did. Also, I researched stuff about fractured jaws, so in case I'm wrong about how long it takes to heal, please let me know and I can fix it. I got my sources from the net, so... Yeaaaah.**

**Goodnight/day, lovelies, and I should hopefully see you guys soon!**


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